Pedestrian Crossing Infrastructure

Prepared by Ann McGrane, University of North Carolina Highway Safety Research Center.

Problem

Las Vegas, Nevada, had a high rate of pedestrian crashes due to its street network that favored wide, fast roadways.

Background

High-visibility crosswalks.

The City of Las Vegas and unincorporated Clark County make up a large portion of the Las Vegas metropolitan area. Like most southwestern cities, Las Vegas is sprawling and was built with rights-of-way for six- to eight-lane roads that have speed limits of 45 mi/h. Additionally, the Clark County School District is the fifth largest in the nation, and children within two miles of school walk to school. The State of Nevada ranks among the worst in the nation for pedestrian fatality rates, so the City of Las Vegas decided to improve its pedestrian infrastructure to provide a safer environment for vulnerable road users.

Solution

Las Vegas worked with the Federal Highway Administration Pedestrian Safety Program to identify, install and evaluate a selection of pedestrian safety countermeasures. Eighteen sites with high rates of pedestrian crashes were identified. Fourteen of these locations received countermeasures and the remaining four locations served as control locations. Multiple countermeasures were deployed at each site, and before and after data were collected at the sites. The countermeasures used in Las Vegas included warning signs, advance yield markings, pedestrian call buttons that light up when pressed, high-visibility crosswalks, median refuges, automated pedestrian detection and speed trailers.

Results

Advance yield markings warn motorists of approaching crosswalks.

Significant improvements in motorist yielding rates and pedestrian safety resulted from the installation of combined countermeasures. "Turning Vehicles Yield to Pedestrians" signs, advance yield markings, and in-roadway knockdown signs produced significant improvements in motorist yielding behavior. At one site, 11 percent of vehicles blocked the crosswalk before turning. After a "Turning Vehicles Yield to Pedestrians" sign was installed, no motorists blocked the crosswalk (p<0.001). The installation of the sign also produced notable results for pedestrians. The proportion of pedestrians who looked for turning vehicles during the WALK signal increased from 0.54 to 0.93 (p<0.001). The overall results indicated that using a combination of pedestrian safety countermeasures led to major increases in pedestrian safety at the 14 locations.